Pets are increasingly being considered as members of the family and are enjoying an equal status in the family too. Thus it is no wonder that when it comes to naming pets, a lot of thought goes into it. It may come as a surprise but one of the most popular names for pets is inspired by the very popular “Twilight” series.

The latest survey released by Veterinary Pet Insurance has revealed that by far the most popular pet name in the United States is “Bella”. Bella is the teenaged heroine from the Twilight saga who falls in love with a Vampire. Surprisingly it is the most sought after name for dogs and the second most popular name for cats. It is ranked seventh as far as exotic pets are concerned.

The survey has released a list of the top 10 favorite pet names for dogs, cats and exotic pets. A few names like Bella, Max and Charlie figure on all three lists but on different slots.

The most popular pet names for dogs from 10 to 1 are Sophie, Charlie, Daisy, Maggie, Buddy, Molly, Lucy, Max, Bailey and yes Bella. Similarly the top ten cat names from 10 to 1 are Charlie, Tigger, Tiger, Shadow, Smokey, Lucy, Oliver, Chloe, Bella and Max. The tenth most popular name for exotic pets is Gizmo. The others in the list are Sammy, Max, Bella, Bandit, Kiwi, Jack, Sunny, Baby and Charlie.

Pet names may be inspired by favorite characters from a series or may be picked at random by the owners. Many pet owners now look for pet names just as they would for a new baby in the family.

It has been observed that names with softer consonants are more popular as compared to those with hard sounds. Thus names like Bella, Ava or Emily are finding more takers rather than the names like Cullen, Gertrude, Gary or Edward.

With more and more pets being given people names it is becoming increasingly common that a pet owner may meet a person with the same name as their pet names. It might delight them but not many people would be happy to know of a pet sharing their name.

There are many who are very creative with the names they choose for their pets. Martha Stewart named her pets with eclectic names like Princess Peony and Empress Tang (her Persians), Sir Frost and Miss Snowflake (the blue point Himalayans) Sharkey and Francesca (her Bulldogs).

On the contrary Jennifer Garner has a pet dog that she calls Martha Stewart.